Womochil resigns at Jefferson

CEDAR RAPIDS -- Jim Womochil's "next endeavor" begins Monday.

"I'll probably be shoveling snow the next day or two, but come Monday, I'm going to start on my future," Womochil said Friday, a few hours after he resigned as football coach at Cedar Rapids Jefferson.

Womochil, 45, will take an immediate leave of absence "to pursue other coaching opportunities at the college level," according to a statement released by Jefferson.

More than one source has said Womochil will be hired on the staff at Iowa State University. He neither confirmed nor denied that.

"I can't comment on that," he said. "I've got a couple options."

Womochil posted a 22-78 record in 11 seasons at Jefferson, including a current losing streak of 22 games.

The J-Hawks did not post a winning season in Womochil's tenure. They won four games in 2001, 2006 and 2008.

The 2008 team advanced to the Class 4A playoffs, losing in the first round.

"A lot of people look at the wins and losses and judge everything on that," Womochil said. "We worked hard. We gave it everything we had.

"It's tough to leave. We created a family and built a lot of relationships."

Jefferson Athletics Director Scott Kibby said he had been in talks with Womochil about the unspecified opportunity since November.

"I knew then that he had another option," Kibby said. "He told me Monday that he had worked out a leave of absence."

The leave of absence, Kibby said, means "that Jim is going to explore another opportunity. If it is to his liking, he will continue on. If not, he can come back and a job will be waiting for him at Jefferson in the fall."

Womochil was a business education teacher at Jefferson.

Kibby said it is possible that Womochil could be on the football staff next season, but not as the head coach. He also said the head position could be posted as soon as Monday on the Cedar Rapids Community Schools' web site.

"I plan to take applications through the second week of February and start interviewing in March," Kibby said.

A native of Vinton, Womochil was the seventh head coach in Jefferson's 52-year history, succeeding Dave Jacobson in 2001.

He led Williamsburg to three playoff appearances before arriving at Jefferson, but was never able to duplicate that kind of success against the Mississippi Valley Conference.

"That's a mystery to me," said Cedar Rapids Washington Coach Tony Lombardi.

"I've always been pulling for Jim and his program. He's a good guy who has put in a lot of time. His kids have been physical and hard-nosed. They just haven't been able to sustain it in a game for four quarters."

Womochil said that commitment to weight training "has been a battle" at Jefferson.

"The new guy is going to make that a point of emphasis," he said.